Kormac
Kormac the Templar is one of the three followers featured in Diablo III. Biography Recruitment "I do not know much of your order. Were you born a Templar?" "No. Our scripture says, "As a farmer reaps his wheat, so must the order harvest and purify the weeds." "You say you are a weed. I think that even weeds have their purpose under the sun and moon." "No. They strangle. They corrupt. And the crop fails. I was lucky to be taken when I was." — A companion and Kormac discussing the latter's past''Diablo III, ''Act I Kormac was once a soldier of Westmarch. However, he was conscripted by the Templar Order and initiated by force. He was chained to a wall by the order's inquisitors and beaten mercilessly. By the third day, he was mad from pain and hunger. That was when the whipping began. Kormac would later be told that he relived all of his past transgressions, of everything that brought him tainted joy, that the whip took away his joy and sin. By the end of it, he was a loyal follower of the Order, and was unable to remember his "sinful" past. Over the course of his service, Kormac was regarded as a paragon among them.Templar, Blizzard Entertainment. Accessed on 2013-08-23 The End of Days New Tristram thumb|Kormac In 1285, Kormac was in Khanduras. In the Tristram Cathedral, he was betrayed by his fellow Templar Jondar, incapacitated, and disarmed by Dark Cultists. He was soon freed by a group of heroes however, and he was able to rearm. The heroes intended to confront the Skeleton King, and Kormac, seeing that their goals aligned, agreed to ally with them. After re-arming, Kormac took his revenge on Jondar, who had thrown in his lot with the Coven. The rogue Templar was killed, and in his last moments, Jondar begged for forgiveness. Kormac replied that betrayal could never be forgiven. After the fight, he took a journal off Jondar's corpse.Diablo III, Act II Kormac later thanked the heroes for their aid. As they too fought against the minions of Hell, he agreed to join them on the condition that he be allowed to keep any sacred tomes of his Order. The heroes agreed, but commented that Kormac did not seem like the kind of person who was once as sinful as he claimed, and wondered if there was any such 'sin' to be found. Kormac admitted that the idea had indeed occurred to him, but voiced his dismay that if that were true, it would ruin everything he fought for. Caldeum By the time the party reached Caldeum, Kormac had had much time to reflect on his companions' suggestion. He decided to confront his past. Still, the present had to be confronted as well. A present which involved the enchantress, Eirena, joining the group. Kormac was instantly attracted to her, though his vows as a Templar kept his actions in check. Kormac later conversed with his companions over the issue of his past again, telling them of the journal he had taken off Jondar's body. It was written in an ancient Templar cipher, and while it would take time, he could translate it. He reasoned that by studying Jondar's treachery, he could gain insight into his past. He requested, however, that his friends slay him if he lapsed into his old sins. Despite his resolve, Kormac was afraid—Jondar had betrayed the Order, but what if he had discovered something that made him betray himself? Reading the journal, Kormac ascertained that Jondar had found a set of what he called "key words" hidden in a dusty libram. Apparently, when Jondar read those words, memories from his past returned to torment him. It was at this point that he began to mistrust the Order. Kormac declared himself ready to look upon the same words, but urged his friends to understand that if he died, he would still be loyal to the Light. His friends assured him that he was testing his faith, and there was no shame in that. Kormac proceeded to read the words. Memories came flooding back, allowing him to remember his time as a soldier of Westmarch, that he had been forcefully conscripted into the Order and lied to about his "past sins." Shaken, Kormac nonetheless reasoned that the inquisitors must have acted without the blessing of the Order's grand master, and declared that once he returned with the tomes, the master would punish the inquisitors. Bastion's Keep The group's journey led them to Bastion's Keep, for a final confrontation with Azmodan and his forces. By the time of their arrival, Kormac had studied Jondar's journal further. He found a torn page within the binding, which he believed to be from one of the tomes he sought. He considered it strange that Jondar would hide it as such, as if it were proof of a crime. Studying the page, Kormac realized that the writing contained instructions for the creation of magical weapons, yet a rune displayed matched one on the armor of Tyrael, a former angel of Heaven. Taking the parchment to Tyrael himself, the former angel explained that the plans were for angelic weapons that would fit human hands. Tyrael reasoned that the manuscript implied that the Heavenly Host intended to destroy Sanctuary, and the Templar Order had been created to stop them. A claim that once had weight in the last days of the Sin War, but was no longer true. Kormac resolved to see things through to the end, but once the battle was over, he would march back to the Order and have justice for their sins and lies.Diablo III, Act III A Final Betrayal Kormac and his companions had to endure one last betrayal as Adria turned upon them, her actions leading to the death of her daughter Leah and the rebirth of Diablo as a single Prime Evil. Kormac reflected on the history of the Coven, and reasoned that Adria must have once been allied with Maghda, and left to find Diablo in Tristram over twenty years ago. However, the heroes were able to succeed, defeating Diablo and his forces and saving both Heaven and the mortal realm in the process.Diablo III, Act IV Return to Westmarch Kormac and his companions journeyed to Westmarch, only to find his old home under attack by the Reapers. After successfully repelling the invaders and securing the city, Kormac decided to pay a visit to the Templar headquarters, the Vault of the Order, in order to confront the Grand Maester and tell him about the atrocious techniques the Inquisitors were using on recruits (i.e. wiping their memory through torture). However, upon arrival, Kormac found out that the Order was welcoming him as a hero (the greatest templar ever, the one who defeated Belial and Azmodan) and that torture of neophytes was no longer a secret, being performed with consent of the Grand Maester. Furious, Kormac ordered the initiates to be unshackled (the Inquisitor did so, stating that such is the wish of the greatest one in the Order) and faced the Grand Maester, questioning him about how could he ever allow this. The Grand Maester, truly proud of Kormac's accomplishments, replied that such measures were necessary, and offered Kormac to be his second in command and eventually become Grand Maester himself. After Kormac refused, the Templars' leader ordered to kill him and his companions, but was slain along with his guards, and Kormac made a decision to leave the Order for good.Diablo III, Act V In-game Kormac first appears in the quest Reign of the Black King. If the player saves him from the Dark Cultists on level 3 of the Tristram Cathedral, he will ask the player to help him retrieve his items. He is first named Warrior. After the player retrieves his items, he will accompany you through the rest of level 3, culminating in a showdown with his old brother-in-arms Jondar, who has become a necromancer serving the Dark Coven. After dispatching him, Kormac will become a follower, able to be selected at will. Equipment Kormac rushes head first into combat, garbed in heavy armor and brandishing his one-handed weapon and shield. His imposing figure and righteous battle cries inevitably draw the attention of most servants of the Burning Hells away from you in battle, though he fights with more of a focus on slaying his foes than on self-preservation. Throughout your journey, Kormac collects Templar Relics – chalices, scriptures and fragments of sacred weapons that lend him purpose and power. Available equipment: *Amulets *Rings *Shields *Daggers *One-handed Axes *One-handed Maces *One-handed Spears *One-handed Swords *Templar Relics (special item) Skills Many of Kormac’s skills focus on improving his capacity as your protector through taunts, new attacks and stuns. When acting in a support role, Kormac can increase party-wide health and resource regeneration, or quickly heal you with a burst of radiance. Quotes Upon hiring the Templar as a Follower *'Templar:' Let us seek honor together, my friend. *'Templar:' It is good to fight with you again. *'Templar:' Lead the way to glory! *'Templar:' What shall we fight today? When the Player gains a level *'Templar:' The Light grows stronger within you! *'Templar:' Glory to you. When the Follower gains a level *'Templar:' Once again, I become stronger. *'Templar:' Within me, the Light grows stronger! *'Templar:' My power grows great. Upon training *'Templar:' I would have chosen the same. *'Templar:' A worthy choice. *'Templar:' A useful skill. Upon retraining *'Templar:' I feel like a new man. Upon equipping with an item *'Templar:' I will use this. *'Templar:' This will aid me. *'Templar:' This will help. *'Templar:' Good thought. Upon noticing a rare monster or a champion pack *'Templar:' A mighty adversary is before us. *'Templar:' By all that is holy! Do you see that enemy over there? *'Templar:' There! A worthy foe! *'Templar:' I don't like the look of that. *'Templar:' Our opponents may be strong, but I will not stand down! *'Templar:' Always wanted to fight some of these. *'Templar:' We'll rip these brutes to shreds! Upon defeating a rare monster or a champion pack *'Templar:' What a monstrous creature. *'Templar:' A worthy opponent. *'Templar:' That was a worthy foe. Glorious. *'Templar:' Could we find more like that? *'Templar:' A well-deserved death! *'Templar:' I'll be telling stories about that for a while! *'Templar:' I like to think that the world is safer now. *'Templar:' Not even a sweat! *'Templar:' Evil has been rebuked! Random comment after killing monsters *'Templar:' Just a skirmish. Give me a real battle! *'Templar:' I expected more. *'Templar:' That was invigorating! Upon receiving damage *'Templar:' I bleed! *'Templar:' Blood, hah! *'Templar:' I do not fear pain! *'Templar:' Nothing more than a scratch! Random comment *'Templar:' I tried to count how many we've killed, but I've lost track. *'Templar:' The Light still guides us, even in the darkest of places. Waiting to be hired * Templar: 'I was one of the best in my order! And yet here I am, standing around instead of doing my duty. * '''Templar: '''I can hear the cries of war out there! Take me to the front! * '''Templar: '''Allow me to accompany you. I will refrain from making statements about my faith this time. All right, well... fewer statements. * '''Templar: '''Your enemies are growing stronger. You need a warrior at your side. * '''Templar: '''My service is yours if you would have it. ''Upon entering the Old Ruins * '''Templar: This village surrendered to evil and paid the price. Upon Entering the Forgotten Ruins *'Templar:' Brast never wrote about this! *'Templar:' History weighs heavily on this place. Upon entering the Halls of Agony *'Templar:' Evil wears no disguises here. In Caldeum *'Templar:' Do not be fooled by the gold and marble. This city was built with greed and pride, and sin is its foundation. In the Sewers of Caldeum *'Templar:' It's quite a maze down here, isn't it? *'Templar:' I can only hold my breath for so long. Upon entering the Shadow Realm *'Templar: '''There is no sun in this world. I can feel it. Outside these walls is a land of eternal night. ''In Bastion's Keep *'Templar: '''It is grim out here but I have seen worse. *'Templar:' This may be our last stand, my friend. ''Upon entering the Hell Rift * Templar: By the Light, I never wanted to see this demon squalor again! Random comment in the Overgrown Ruins *'Templar:' How long do you think Adria would last if I held her head under one of these blood pools? Personality and Traits Kormac is a headstrong individual, and often rushes into battle with more focus on slaying his foes than self-preservation. Loyal to the ideals of his Order, in Kormac's words, "love is the surest way to a tragic end," hence why he foreswore it. It was an oath that his infatuation with Eirena tested. He likewise came into friction with Lyndon, whose personality was the opposite of his own.Diablo III: General Character Conversations After Adria's betrayal and the death of Leah, he was shown to be noticeably agitated, seething with rage over Leah's death and desiring to kill Adria. Trivia *Kormac is voiced by Dominic Keating. *Much like Eirena, due to game mechanics, it is possible for there to be two versions of Kormac in-game if the player is currently hiring him. At first, the player's Templar will ask what brought the other Templar to the Cathedral, causing the other to reply that someone had betrayed the templar order. After the dialogue that commences when the player recovers the other Templar's gear, the hired Templar will show agreement, stating that Evil cowers at the sight of one templar, and that two would bring it to its knees. References de:Kormac der Templer Category:Characters Category:Diablo III NPCs